The marsh crab, Sartoriana rokitanskyi (Pretzmann, 1971) (Decapoda, Brachyura, Gecarcinucidae) from southern Iran Author Kamrani, Ehsan Author Ng, Peter K. L. Author Mirzadeh, Mehrnoush Author Nakhodai, Sahar text Zootaxa 2009 2305 24 32 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.275362 d83cb1cf-6311-46b2-8694-cb037123441f 1175-5326 275362 Sartoriana rokitanskyi ( Pretzmann, 1971 ) ( Figs. 1 , 3 A, 4A–C) Liotelphusa ( Sartoriana ) blanfordi rokitanskyi Pretzmann, 1971 : 474 , pls. 5, 6. Sartoriana rokitanskyi — Ng et al. 2008: 72. Material examined . 2 males (larger 26.2 × 20.0 mm), 7 females (largest 31.2 × 23.5 mm ), ( ZRC ), Geno basin near hot spring, Bandar Abbas , 27°27’25”N 56°20’28”E southern Iran , coll. E. Kamrani, 7 Nov. 2008 ; 3 males (largest 28.2 × 21.8 mm , 26.2 × 20.3 mm , 23.9 × 18.5 mm ), 2 females (larger 30.1 × 22.8 mm ) ( ZRC ), 8 males (largest 36.0 × 30.0 mm), 2 females (largest 24.0 × 20.0 mm) ( ZCUH ), Rudan, near Bandar Abbas , southern Iran , coll. E. Kamrani, 2009. Comparative material . Sartoriana blanfordi ( Alcock, 1909 ) : 1 male (41.8 x 31.8 mm ), 1 female (37.3 x 28.8 mm ) ( ZRC ), Punjgoor, Beluchistan, Pakistan , coll. Q. Kazmi, 19 Jan. 2003 ; 2 males (37.1 x 28.0 mm, 35.3 x 26.9 mm ) ( ZRC ), Punjgoor, Beluchistan, Pakistan , coll. Q. Kazmi, 19 Aug. 2003 . Sartoriana afghaniensis ( Pretzmann, 1963 ) : 1 male (32.9 x 23.7 mm ), 1 female (broken, 33.4 x 24.7 mm ), native jetty, Karachi, Pakistan , coll. Q. Kazmi, 2003. Remarks . Sartoriana rokitanskyi was originally described as a subspecies of S. blanfordi on the basis of a 28.1 mm (carapace length) holotype male from Roodan (= Rudan), outside the city of Bandar Abbas , as well as a paratype series of 12 males , 11 females and eight juveniles. Although the species was not described or diagnosed, it was compared with S. blanfordi and S. afghaniensis , the differences between the taxa discussed, and as such, the name is valid. The holotype male was well illustrated with six photographs in two plates, including the G1. Peter Dworschak kindly photographed the types in the Natural History Museum of Vienna at our request. The present material agrees very well with the types and we have no doubt our material is conspecific with S. rokitanskyi . While superficially similar to S. blanfordi , S. rokitanskyi can easily be separated by its postfrontal cristae being more rugose and gradually merging with the postorbital cristae ( Fig. 1 A) (less rugose with cristae clearly separated in S. blanfordi , Fig. 2 A), the epibranchial tooth is less acutely triangular and separated from the rest of the anterolateral margin by a relatively shallower V-shaped cleft ( Fig. 1 A) (more acutely triangular with deeper cleft in S. blanfordi , Fig. 2 A), the median lobe of the posterior margin of the epistome has the lateral margins almost straight ( Fig. 1 B) (gently concave in S. blanfordi , Fig. 2 B), the large submedian tooth on the propodus finger of the chela is large ( Fig. 3 A) (composed of several smaller teeth in S. blanfordi , Fig. 3 B); and the G1, notably the terminal segment, is proportionately stouter and shorter ( Fig. 4 A, B) (relatively more slender and longer in S. blanfordi , Fig. 4 D, E). Pretzmann (1971: 474) also separated S. rokitanskyi from S. blanfordi by the relative proportions of the male abdominal somites and form of the front. The specimens on hand, however, show that these characters are not very useful at the species level and are subject to variation. The form of the carapace of S. rokitanskyi varies slightly. The epibranchial tooth ranges from being low to sharp, the rugosity of the postfrontal and postorbital cristae varies slightly in strength, and the relative proportions of the abdomen, notably somite 6 can be slightly more squarish or slightly elongated. These differences, however, are not significant. The form of their G1 structure on the other hand, is very consistent. FIGURE 1 . Sartoriana rokitanskyi (Pretzmann, 1971) . Male (28.2 × 21.8 mm) (ZRC), Rudan, Iran. A, overall dorsal view; B, frontal carapace view; C, ventral sternal view. FIGURE 2. Sartoriana blanfordi (Alcock, 1909) . Male (35.3 × 26.9 mm) (ZRC), Punjgoor, Beluchistan, Pakistan. A, overall dorsal view; B, frontal carapace view; C, ventral sternal view. FIGURE 3. Outer views of chelae. A, Sartoriana rokitanskyi (Pretzmann, 1971) , male (28.2 × 21.8 mm) (ZRC), Rudan, Iran; B, Sartoriana blanfordi (Alcock, 1909) , male (35.3 × 26.9 mm) (ZRC), Punjgoor, Beluchistan, Pakistan. The known distributions of the two species are different. The type locality of S. blanfordi is 600 km to the east in Pishin and adjacent areas in northwestern Beluchistan Province in Pakistan (see also Alcock 1910 : 75, pl. 4 fig. 16; Balss 1914 : 408; Pretzmann 1967 : 223), and the present specimens of S. blanfordi are from the same area. Colour . The dorsal surface of the carapace is light brown with scattered lighter coloured spots; with the ventral surfaces dirty-white. The margins of the cristae and carapace are greyish-brown. The surfaces of the ambulatory legs are mottled. The outer surfaces of the chelipeds are grey, the inner surfaces white, with the anterior margin of the carpus and fingers are tinged with orange. FIGURE 4. Left gonopods. A–C, Sartoriana rokitanskyi (Pretzmann, 1971) , male (28.2 × 21.8 mm) (ZRC), Rudan, Iran; D–F, Sartoriana blanfordi (Alcock, 1909) , male (35.3 × 26.9 mm) (ZRC), Punjgoor, Beluchistan, Pakistan. A, D, ventral views of G1s; B, E, dorsal views of G1s; C, F, G2s. Scales = 1.0 mm. FIGURE 5. Habitat of Sartoriana rokitanskyi (Pretzmann, 1971) near Geno Hot Springs, southern Iran. Ecology . The crabs were collected about 15 km from the main hot spring at Geno, outside Bandar Abbas in southern Iran . The locality, in Hormozgan Province, has a subtropical climate, with distinct spring and summer seasons. At the main hot spring, which is volcanic in origin, the sulphur-rich water gushes out at about 221 litres per second, the pH is 7.3, the salinity 9.4‰, the temperature ranging from 38° to 40°C, sediment TOM (total organic matter) 5.8% and composition of 49% sand, 21% clay and 30% silt. At the hot spring itself, there is an endemic cyprinodontid fish, Aphanius ginaonis (Holly, 1929) , which appears to be particularly adapted to the harsh conditions there, although crabs were not found. The habitat where the crab is found is a marsh ecosystem covered by dense stands of common reeds and salt cedar trees, with mats of algae on the bottom (fig. 5). The water flow through the habitat where S. rokitanskyi is found was about 61 litres per second, with the salinity being 9.7‰, pH 7.5, temperatures of between 24° and 32°C, sediment TOM 0.9% and a composition of 35% sand, 9% clay and 56% silt. Freshwater fishes living in the same habitat are Cyprinon watsoni Day, 1889 ( Cyprinidae ), Aphanius dispar (Rüppell, 1829) (Cyprinodontidae) and Iranocichla hormuzensis Coad, 1982 (Cichlidae) . The latter is endemic to Iran being only known from the area. No freshwater shrimps were observed. The crabs are usually found under algal mats and among the reeds, only occasionally in burrows. The streams where the crabs occur pass through some small villages, with the nutrients coming mostly from human effluents and sewage. The other site where S. rokitanskyi was obtained, Rudan, is also similar to the habitat near Geno. FIGURE 6. Carapace width and frequency relationships for males and females of Sartoriana rokitanskyi . FIGURE 7. Length-weight relationships for males and females of Sartoriana rokitanskyi . A total of 112 specimens ( 47 males , 65 females ) were collected; excluding juveniles, which were still been brooded by females. The maximum carapace widths recorded for the females and males collected were 29.0 and 25.0 mm, respectively. Females and males measuring 21.0 mm and 19.0 mm in carapace width were more abundant than other size classes ( Fig. 6 ). The length-weight relationship showed that the growth of each sex is isometric ( Fig. 7 ). The annual sampling also showed that females were relatively more abundant than males by a ratio of 1.4:1. Females spawn in April with the brood size averaging 25 juveniles crabs (n = 5).